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The Pranab Mukherjee Chat

Hello, Mr Mukherjee. A lot of people here will talk about the Congress. I want to speak about your political career. Is it not true that you hoped to be prime minister after Indira Gandhi was killed. Were you not disappointed by what happened thereafter, and is it not true that Rajiv suspected your motives which is why he did not give you a post, leading to your rebellion!

Namashkar, Mr Mukherjee: What do you think about congress getting united again after Rao's exit.

Dr. Mukherjee, thank you for answering, but dont you think old congressmen returning after years will bring with them same rivalries, egos, groups, indescipline etc....

Mukherjeesaab, without you where would the Ambanis be? Could you speak about your relationship with the great Dhirubhai Ambani?

The Congress lost badly in Tamil Nadu because the centralised high command did not have the intelligence to break from the corrup Jayalalitha? Why are not the state units given independence in making decisions? why this outdated central command structure, which has obviously not helped the Congress one bit.

Mr Diwnaji: Thank you. It is good question. We are fightring against the Marxists in West Bengal and perhaps wyou ar aware of the performance of the Congress party in the last Lom Sabha and assembly elections, the Congress has doubled the strength both in parliament and in assembly and has also increased its share of percentage. As an individual party, the Congresds has larger support than CPI-M. But in electoral arithmatic, when the support base of CPI-M is expanded by contgributions from smaller parties, then it becomes favourable to cpi0m-led left front. After all in electoral arithmatic 51 is equal to 100 and 49 is equal to 0. But 49 is also a substantial number.Isn't?

Mr Mukherjee, Good evening. The trouble with you Congressmen is that all of you are so obsessed with making money and being in power that you give a damn for the party. I don't see that ever changing, and without adequate charisma, I don't see your party going anywhere. So is it time for Soniaji or Priyanka to lead the party?

Sir, recently the UF govt has given massive pay hikes to employees in the railways, and then to the postal and other employees? Who is going to pay for all this at a time when the fiscal deficit is growing? And will all politicians keep quiet because they don't want to lose precious workers' votes? Can India afford this?

Ansari: Mr Ansari, you are totally wrong and incorrect to call me Mr Ambani's B and it is also not fair I have no relation with Mr Ambani or any of his groups for so ever.Of course, hardly there is any Indian industrialist whop has not talked or met me in the last 20 years since I had been minister in the economic ministries alone in m y entire ministerial career. Therefore, it is natural that the industrialists would meet me.

looking for a reply?

Do you believe Mr Kesri has the credentials to be a good leader? Do you think he understands the dynamics of caste better than all you brahmins who dominated the Congress party and refused to see the way India's political mosaic was changing. Do you think forging a dalit-minority alliance will pave off for the party?

Mr Mukherjee:Do Congreessmen of the old school like you ever consider apologising to the country? Or are you convinced that ALL of you are absolutely aboveboard, unflawed....?

Pranabbau, you are ignoring me. Anyway, here is another question: How will the return of Arjun Singh and Narain Dutt Tewari strenghten the party? Both men have zero following and one even lost the elction in his state. So is it not time to stop folling yourself and think that unity of Congressmen will revive your party? The truth is that even the TMC will be zilch in TN without the DMK. So let us face it, Pranabbabu, the Congress is finished. The BJP is what matters today!

Farhana: I would like to correct you about your informormation. I never wanted to be the prime minister after Mrs Gandhoi's assassination. And scores of literatures and books written by different persons have ridiculed this canard. It is true that I had differences with Mr Raji9v Gandhi at the initial years and later on he brought me to the party and in one his last interviews to India Today, he himself admitted that this was misinformed about me.

Come, come, Mr Mukherjee, no one is accusing you of anything incorrect. Why the anxiousness to distance yourself from Dhirubhai? In the license raj, businessmen had to do what they did to grow.... all I am asking you, is as a former finance minister, what is your impressions of Mr Ambani?

T^hank you, Sir. Who misinformed Rajiv about you?

scrolled off without a reply!!!typical sarkari day at rediff is it??

Badralok: It is true that there has been enhancement of bonus to railways and telecommunications workers and which will have pressure on state exchanquer. I do agree that this was not a correct decision when the fiscal deficit is mounting. Government should have not succumbed to the pressure of various constituent units and the employees. But it is for the government of the day, not the opposition parties to take decisions. If we were consulted earlier, surely we would have adivsed them not to succumb to the pressure.

Professor Mukherjee, It is obvious to anyone who has studied Indian politics that the Congress's appeal in many parts of India, especially the Hindi heartland, has diminished. That your party had to play a secondary role to the BSP is signal enough. So I think you are not being true to yourself when you say the party has a future. Reviving the Congress needs hard decisions, and a definite agenda. At this moment in time, I see neither. Do you believe the return of old Congressmen will do something to revive your party?

Ram Behari Sharma, what is the difference between one party and the other? Finally, after 50 years the people matter...only the Congress doesn't realise it...they don't like it...read our lips Mr. M'jee...

Mr Mukherjee, Congress is synonymous with corruption: your party's corruption is disgusting, and that is putting it mildly. What prevents you from sacking all corrupt men? And Arjun Singh is known to be corrupt? How do you account for his palace outside Bhopal? So why are you taking him back, like you did Scindia? Are all of thick as thieves are supposed to be?

in business some times downsizing results in greater benefits, dont you think congress should also get rid of some unnecessary fat. pls also reply to my earlier question about congressmen returning to party.

Dilliwala: Apology for what? Apology for providing stability and stregnthening democratic system in this country when a number of our neighbouring countries\, the democratic institutions sollapsed. What the Indian national Congress had done for the last 50 years since Indepencdxence, I am proud of that and we would continue to uphold the ideals of democracy, secularism and total commitment to the creation of an eagalitarian society. No apology for pursuing these ideals.

bad vibes man??

Farhana: A number of persons who did not like my political rise. But I do not like to mention their names and I can not expect that I will be in politics, but there will no enemies.

Would Congress have staved off the pressure? You guys did not raise the price of petrol because it was election year, and your obsession with controlling inflation began the process of slowing down the economy? China grows at 12% because it tolerates inflation at 20%, and more. Can Indian economy grow at 7% (as hoped for ) if inflation is your only worry? Pls reply

mog, pls dont provoke him, we are not here to listen to political speech

Mr Mukherjee: Is this not true that on one side Mr kesri is calling all the veterans to join back and on the other hand removing all the old office bearers in one go! Will this not affect the integrette of Congress party????

Simon: Mr Simon, your assessment is absolutely wrong. Unfortunately there are not many in this country who share your views. Whether Mrs Sonia Gandhi or Miss Priyanka gandhi will join the Congress party does not depend either on you or on me. It is for them to decide what they will do.

In the unlikely event of Mr Kesri inviting you to suggest ways to revive the Congress, what would you tell him? How would the strategy in the north differ from the one in the sought and in the west?

Pranabbau, you are ignoring me. Anyway, here is another question: How will the return of Arjun Singh and Narain Dutt Tewari strenghten the party? Both men have zero following and one even lost the elction in his state. So is it not time to stop folling yourself and think that unity of Congressmen will revive your party? The truth is that even the TMC will be zilch in TN without the DMK. So let us face it, Pranabbabu, the Congress is finished. The BJP is what matters today!